Wake Me Up When September Ends

The 9th month of the year is best summed up by borrowing the Green Day song, Wake Me Up When September Ends.

September seems like such a benign month—containing the end of summer with Labor Day celebrations and hints of fall with cooler nights. And yet it’s not as innocent as the Virgoan month presents.

For me, it’s impossible not to associate September with the sudden loss of my brother-in-law in 2019. Once you know about one death, you hear about so many more that happened in tandem.

September is the numerological 9-month that represents endings and completions. Of course, we can’t forget the date September 11th and those souls who perished. It’s not coincidental that Rosh Hashana falls in September. This Jewish holiday is also known as the Day of Judgment, the start of the Jewish new year. Although it’s not a custom I grew up with or practice formally, I appreciate the 10-day ritual from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur for the intended purpose of repentance. This period acts as a portal for birth, death, and rebirth. Regardless of your faith, you may notice this period carries similar themes in your own life.

For this year’s September, we have more planets than not in a retrograde motion. The calendar says next chapter, but with little forward motion available to us. I’m reminded that my life flows in tandem with the universal seasons despite how quickly I flip the calendar page.

Between weather anomalies and unending strikes in the entertainment industry, I’m also reminded that like a warm pumpkin spice latte, life is meant to be sipped, not guzzled. This September is a time of giving thanks to that which has passed and blessing that which is ready to come in.

For this I will stay awake.

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are